Barking is a natural doggie activity just like talking is to humans. Trying to stop dog barking altogether would be like trying to stop someone to talk forever! Besides it being impossible, it’s just plain wrong. The thing is, excessive barking (much like excessive talking) is totally irritating—not just to you but to your family, your hot neighbor, the children at play, the mailman, and every one else who can hear it.
Though barking shouldn’t be stopped—after all, it’s very useful when your dog uses it for the right reasons like warning you, warding off trespassers, or telling you something of importance—it must be controlled. If you want to maintain peace in the neighborhood and between your neighbors, controlling your dog’s barking habits is important.
Many people and dog owners don’t know much about trying to stop dogs from barking .
These days, busy dog owners tend to run to these things called anti-barking collars. They seem to be the most convenient solution. The great thing about collars is that they can supervise a dog’s barking habits even when the owner is not around. So far, there are basically three different kinds of anti-barking collars available in the market.
There is the sonar collar. This sonar collar is a discreet little thing. It basically releases a high frequency sound inaudible to humans and irritable to dogs whenever the dog would bark. This in turn will get them to think that the irritable sound is a punishment to their barking and will (hopefully) get them to stop.
The second one is called the citronella collar. Citronella collars spray a pungent scent. When the dog barks, they spray so that, like the sonar collar, the dog would assume they’re being punished for their non-stop barking. Though this seems pretty useful, a lot of people say that their dogs have already found a way to get around this anti-barking device.
One anecdotal report states that their dog would just keep on barking until the collar runs out of citronella. Afterwards, he will go on barking the whole day without having to deal with the citronella smell. Other dogs find other ways, like making a face (that probably gets them to hold their breath somehow) when the collar sprays and then barking again.
The third one is called the shock collar. This collar is very controversial. Whenever the dog barks, it shocks the dog with electricity. The strength level of the shock can be changed from 1 to 6, 6 usually being the highest.
A lot of people say this is inhuman and are against it. Come to think of it no decent person would want to do that to their own child (or anyone they want to discipline for that matter) so doing it to their own pet sounds insane, illogical and altogether cruel as well. This collar is to be avoided at all costs.
Even if collars seem to be the “promised land” out of your dog’s uncontrollable barking, collars are just merely supplements.
The best thing is still training—find out first why your dog barks the way it does. If humans have psychologists, dogs have veterinarian behaviorists. A veterian behaviorist basically observes a dog’s environment and circumstances to figure out what exactly triggers their socially unacceptable behavior. Afterwards they find solutions to eliminate the behavior with proper training methods based on their findings.
Some reasons as to why a dog would bark are things like boredom (meaning they have so much energy with nothing to use it with) or frustration (are they being bullied by dogs or other people?) to name two.
If you don’t know why your dog keeps barking, you can call a vet behaviorist to help you out. A vet behaviorist will also teach you what to do. In extreme cases, they might suggest an anti-barking collar but that should be used side by side with proper training techniques.
Barking dogs are just sometimes extremely bored with so much energy to waste. Provide them with physical activities like walks, catch, and play time with other dogs. If you don’t have time, then hire a dog walker or take it to a doggie day care. Especially when you’re alone in the house, when you’re out, like humans, your dog feels lonely and bored and he will do anything to use all his energy.
You can also implement the “QUIET” command whenever he barks out of control. If you’ve already established yourself as the alpha of your “pack”, then it won’t take much trouble to teach this. If the barking is too much of a nuisance already, then a collar might work as a temporary solution BUT always follow it up with behavior training.
It is highly suggested that you stick to the sonar collar as it is perhaps the most humane choice of the three and also the most fool-proof one as much as anti-bark collars can get. Never forget to tackle the problem with hands-on solutions and obedience training as well. Training your dog to respond to obedience signals is still the best and lasting way to curb dog barking behavior but still maintain his freedom to do what he naturally does.
